SXSW: Moving Beyond ‘South by So What’

AUSTIN, Texas — When geeks and music freaks flood this city each year for the South by Southwest festival, sometimes the locals get a little bit bent.

"We used to refer to it as ‘South by So What,’" said singer/guitarist James McMurtry after a steaming Saturday-night set at Momo’s.

But now McMurtry, an Austin songwriter known for the gutsy realism of his Americana anthems, has embraced the visibility that comes with the sometimes-maddening influx of outsiders.

"It seems to help," McMurtry said.

Cranking out his home-spun blues rock on a half-dozen guitars, McMurtry and his band, the Heartless Bastards, worked a late-night crowd with the steady grace of honky-tonk heroes. Whether grooving on the dance floor or swaying in front of the stage, the crowd responded to McMurty’s murky swamp soundtrack.

The songwriter — who has been playing guitar since his father, novelist Larry McMurty, got him an ax at age 7 — has been recording for the past two decades. His ninth album, Just Us Kids, will be released April 15 on Nashville-based Lightning Rod Records.

After starting out on major labels, McMurtry moved to indies. "I get less visibility and more money ever since," he said.

McMurtry also sings the praises of independent music stores like Austin’s Waterloo Records & Videos. "Guys like me, we still sell hard product," he said. "The only ones left are independents."